INDIANAPOLIS – With the
consolidation of surgical services to the Franciscan St. Francis
Health-Indianapolis campus, an additional da Vinci Si system has been installed
to match the existing model.
The hospital’s older da
Vinci S system was sold to St. James Health, a Franciscan Alliance sister
hospital with campuses in Chicago Heights and Olympia Fields.
“This was a very
important move for us from a standardization perspective,” said Rhonda Anders,
RN, director of perioperative services. “Most of our surgeons trained on the Si
model, not the older S model. Now that Indianapolis has two Si machines, we have the ability to
standardize our equipment and instrumentation and change out components if
necessary.”
The Si model builds
on the previous da Vinci technology but also provides advanced 3D HD
visualization with up to 10x magnification and an immersive view of the
operative field. In addition to the new Si, the Surgery Department added a da
Vinci simulation package, allowing physicians to practice for hours on the
simulator and hone their skills on difficult procedures such as suturing and
using clipping devices.
“The simulator gives
the surgeon a score on his or her performance, so it is more than just
practice,” said Anders. “It helps establish competence, along with confidence.”
The new da Vinci Si
also came with dual consoles, so that two surgeons can operate in
collaboration. While one performs the primary tasks of the operation, the
second surgeon can assist with another task, such as retraction.
“Having two consoles
is fantastic for teaching residents or training new surgeons,” said Dipen Maun,
MD, of the Kendrick Colon and Rectal Center.
The Indianapolis
Surgery Department has a goal to increase da Vinci surgical procedures to four a
day throughout the weekdays.
The da Vinci system
was developed nearly 15 years ago at the urging of the Department of Defense.
Military surgeons were looking for ways they could perform procedures from
remote locations, far from battlefields.
While that ultimate
goal has yet to be realized, the computerized robotic system has been welcomed
by surgeons in public and private hospitals worldwide.
More information
about the Kendrick Regional Center for Colon and Rectal Care, located on the
St. Francis Hospital-Mooresville campus, is at www.kendrickcenter.com/meet.html.
